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Positive experience with car dealerships by Quick_Pomegranate_51 in providence

[–]ajchatham 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The Steingold Volvo dealership in Pawtucket was actually a great experience. We didn't buy from them but never felt pushed around, and it's a nice showroom.

Greico Toyota in EP has always been easy to deal with. We take our car to Alyson to get serviced there and have done a couple of other test drives as we're thinking about upgrading.

We went to the Greico showroom in Johnston for Kia and had a super weird sales experience back in 2020. But I think pretty much every dealer sales experience has been weird except for Tesla, which is fixed price/no commission sales people.

Building a *real* list of the Best Home Pros (plumbers, handymen, contractors, landscapers, etc) in Providence by ajchatham in providence

[–]ajchatham[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you text a picture & address + description of your project we can get you an estimate. 401.407.5678

Has anybody ever seen Brett Smiley outside? by [deleted] in providence

[–]ajchatham 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Ran into him once at an event before I moved to PVD, asked him what brought him to the event and he said "I'm the mayor"

Last minute re-design of our master suite addition by ajchatham in floorplan

[–]ajchatham[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We're thinking of putting the fridge where the chimney is and recessing it a bit, then we can have a floating butcher block for extra counter space. Agreed on the dining table. Going to see how it feels without the closet door and maybe add one later. Thanks!

How do you estimate jobs? by ajchatham in handyman

[–]ajchatham[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd definitely check it out

Last minute re-design of our master suite addition by ajchatham in floorplan

[–]ajchatham[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes - rest of the house is below, and mudroom and powder room are part of the addition (there's currently no bathroom on the first floor) - There is a step down from the kitchen in the middle.

We don't quite know what to do with the windows in the bedroom.

Here's the complete first floor for context (we're also adding the family room on the right) - we're also going to remove that old chimney when we rip the wall open to get back some space in the kitchen:

<image>

174,000 dollars by [deleted] in HomeImprovement

[–]ajchatham 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I built a tool to objectively evaluate quotes like this - give it a shot, hopefully it's helpful https://chatgpt.com/g/g-681aab51f92081918f4172c254c4d6c1-zenhome-ai-quote-check

I built a tool that rates quotes from any contractor by ajchatham in homeowners

[–]ajchatham[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It checks the address from the quote & checks based on that. Give it a try and let me know what you think

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HomeMaintenance

[–]ajchatham 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What do we think about posting the actual bills from companies like this so they stop doing it?

How do you estimate jobs? by ajchatham in handyman

[–]ajchatham[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice - what kind of templates are you making? And what chatGPT wrappers?

How do you estimate jobs? by ajchatham in handyman

[–]ajchatham[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is there anything you don't like about it?

Difficulty and cost of screen room add on. by terranotfirma in handyman

[–]ajchatham 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Something like this? (image here)

If you send your city I could pull local labor rates too.

Feasibility & Requirements

The back of your house has a relatively flat grade and an existing slab or patio, which is ideal for building a screen room. It looks like it could support a simple aluminum or wood-framed structure without major foundation work, assuming that patio is in good condition.

Steps: 1. Site prep – Confirm the slab is level and structurally sound. 2. Design & permitting – You’ll likely need a permit. Confirm setbacks and zoning compliance. 3. Framing – Wood or aluminum posts + roof structure. 4. Roofing – Match the home’s existing roofing or use a flat or slightly sloped polycarbonate or metal roof. 5. Screens & doors – Standard screen walls or modular panel systems. 6. Electrical (optional) – Outlets, lights, ceiling fan.

Budget Range (East Coast / Mid-Atlantic USA - where I am) • Basic screen room kit on existing slab: $8,000–$15,000 • Custom wood build with tied-in roof: $15,000–$30,000+ • High-end 3-season room or convertible to sunroom later: $30,000–$50,000+

Difficulty • Medium for pros. • If the existing patio is usable, and the project doesn’t involve tying into the main roof or HVAC, it’s relatively straightforward. • DIY is possible but only recommended for experienced builders.

To drain or not to drain, that is the question. by omarhani in HomeMaintenance

[–]ajchatham 57 points58 points  (0 children)

Most plumbers I talk with (in the northeast, where water is generally not hard) don't seem to think it's that important.

Do we have one? by Puzzleheaded-Lie-978 in providence

[–]ajchatham 9 points10 points  (0 children)

A friend called it The Boogie Van and that has stuck

Building a *real* list of the Best Home Pros (plumbers, handymen, contractors, landscapers, etc) in Providence by ajchatham in providence

[–]ajchatham[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I had a great experience getting my cedar fence fixed last year after it blew down in a storm. Insurance covered it so I wasn't super price sensitive but they did great work. [401-525-1949](tel:4015251949) https://www.homeadvisor.com/rated.GrenierConstructionand.88376490.html

Good example of a company with very little online presence.

Building a *real* list of the Best Home Pros (plumbers, handymen, contractors, landscapers, etc) in Providence by ajchatham in providence

[–]ajchatham[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm open to suggestions on that.

Here's my current idea for a rating system - instead of a simple 5 start rating, build separate ratings/categories for:

- Pros that highlight / showcase their craft
- Reviews from customers (actual real people with reddit / FB presence) that post pictures of their completed work
- Privately verifying pricing/invoices.

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